A dog-tired dog
March 14, 2010 in: Devotions
Really, this was not I intended by “walking the dog.”
At rest
Although Tucker was enjoying it, all right. I was walking. And he was taking in the sights while nestled comfortably in my arms.
We had started out the usual way, me bundled up in layers on a cool February afternoon while Tucker trotted at the end of his leash. It had warmed up enough to melt some of the snow. Tucker was eager to explore it all and darted through drifts and slush to smell new things that had been uncovered.
We headed back home as the faint winter sun began to fade. I tugged on the leash to speed along my companion. He didn’t budge. I looked back to see what had captured his attention.
Tucker merely stood in the middle of the street, as the snow was still too deep to maneuver the sidewalks. I called to him but he didn’t move.
I walked back to see what was wrong and saw Tucker was shivering. The slush he’d waded through was now frozen on his belly. His paws were cold where the damp asphalt had turned frosty.
And those big brown eyes said he didn’t think he could take another step.
So did I leave Tucker there so I could go on home and warm up with a cup of hot chocolate? Did I beat and kick him for getting himself into this mess? Did I tell him just to try harder? Did I leave him at a neighbor’s house, too embarrassed to acknowledge this pathetic pile of fur was my dog?
Of course not. I scooped him up in my arms and I carried him.
You’ve been there. Where the journey is too cold and too hard and too long. You feel like lying down in the middle of the road and if you get run over, it will at least put you out of your misery.
It is in those moments, especially in those moments, that our Heavenly Shepherd does not abandon us. He does not yell at us for making a mess of things, even though there’s a good possibility we have. He does not kick or disown or give up on us.
In those moments, especially in those moments, he picks us up and carries us. He assures us that He never grows weary.
Unlike me. One block of carrying an 18 pound dog and I was getting tired. By then we were within sight of home. Tucker revived and jumped down to toddle the rest of the way home.
Are you too weary to take another step? Rest in the comfort God’s arms. He will carry you.
“The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.” Isaiah 40:28-29
